DR. DRUID -  A TO Z BRITISH HEROES

 

 

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Dr. Druid was raised in England before he left to study Magic. Anthony Ludgate was born in England, before heading to the United States so he could attend Harvard University. There, he earned his medical degree, but quickly found a new calling. Ludgate became obsessed with ancient Celtic stories about druids and sought to learn more about their ways.

He trained with the Ancient One, though fell behind Doctor Strange who would become the Sorcerer Supreme. Still, Ludgate gained incredible magical power and officially changed his name, becoming Dr. Druid. While he never had as big a magical presence in the Marvel Universe as Doctor Strange, Dr. Druid is still a powerful British hero.



 

Doctor Anthony Druid, also known as Doctor Droom and Druid, is a fictional mystic and a supernatural monster-hunter appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller Jack Kirby, he debuted as Dr. Anthony Droom in Amazing Adventures #1, published in March 1961 (with a cover date of June 1961). Kirby's art was inked by artist Steve Ditko. Dr. Droom appeared in four more issues of Amazing Adventures before his stories discontinued. Over a year later, artist Steve Ditko approached Stan Lee with a new magic character called Mr. Strange. Liking the idea, Stan Lee renamed the character Dr. Strange and wrote an origin story similar to Dr. Droom's. Dr. Anthony Droom was finally reintroduced to comics in 1976 in Weird Wonder Tales #19 in a retelling of his origin story which renamed him Dr. Anthony Druid. This retelling included new writing by Larry Lieber (brother of Stan Lee).

Through his knowledge, Dr. Druid has enhanced physical and mental abilities (such as hypnosis and the ability to sense magic) and knows how to counteract magic and protect against it (though rituals and special arrangement of symbols). According to the lore of Marvel Comics, this makes Dr. Druid a mystic but not a full sorcerer like Dr. Strange since he does not cast spells that alter the state of people or the environment around him and does not draw power from Earth's magical energy, extra-dimensional energy, or energy linked to magical entities.

Considered a scholar of multiple fields, the brilliant Dr. Anthony Druid is originally a psychiatrist who then becomes an author and physician. After Dr. Druid undergoes a series of tests in Tibet, a dying lama and mystic mentally transmits to his mind secrets of how to enhance his own body and mind's power and control, as well as knowledge regarding magic and supernatural threats. Later it is said Dr. Druid also taps into the knowledge of Celtic ancestors regarding magic. With the combined knowledge of both his Celtic ancestors and the Tibetan lama, Dr. Druid acts as a magic-based consultant and hero of Earth. Over the years, he has worked with the superhero team known as the Avengers, and it is later said he was part of a group known as the Monster Hunters. On multiple occasions, he has worked with the sorcerer Dr. Strange. 

POWERS

Doctor Druid's latent mystical abilities were activated by the Ancient One. He has a variety of psionic abilities including telepathy which enables him to scan or project his thoughts to any mind on Earth, the ability to mesmerize minds less adept than his own, and the ability to perform mass hypnosis. Doctor Druid's hypnotic abilities enable him to achieve numerous illusory effects, including invisibility, altering the appearance of himself and others, and the projection of illusionary objects or beings. He has psychokinetic powers enabling him to levitate himself or other people and objects. Doctor Druid has limited precognitive abilities and can sense the presence of recent uses of magic and trace them to their sources.

Doctor Druid's druidic powers have a special vulnerability to iron, as did the powers of his ancestors. Iron tends to act as a lightning rod for the magical forces he employs, sometimes disrupting their effects.

Doctor Druid employs the mystical knowledge and skills of the ancient druids. Through magic rituals that may involve chants, runes, candles, potions, mystic symbols, and other such preparations, Doctor Druid can achieve various magical feats. These rituals tap the inherent mystical energies in natural objects and materials. Doctor Druid possesses various Celtic mystical artifacts as well. At one time, Druid even had access to the Moebius Stone, which was a mystic item created by Agamotto that had a limited ability to manipulate time. The stone was able to raise the dead, absorb the life-force of another, and accelerate or reverse the passage of time within a confined area, though sometimes random time-related side effects occurred. Doctor Druid eventually destroyed the artifact because he felt it was too powerful to fall into the wrong hands. Doctor Druid can also call upon the Celtic war goddesses Morrigan, Macha, and Badb for mystical assistance. Doctor Druid also possesses various yogic abilities, including control over involuntary functions of his body such as his heartbeat, respiration, bleeding, and reaction to pain.

In his latest and final incarnation, when he was called only "Druid", he has been seen manipulating fire, and making a tree instantaneously grow in a person's stomach from the seeds of an eaten apple. These powers were nature-based (elements, plants, etc.) as the druids of old worshipped nature.

Druid has earned an M.D. from Harvard, completed a residency in psychiatry, and has extensive knowledge of occult lore, especially Celtic lore. 

FICTIONAL CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY

Doctor Druid's real name is Dr. Anthony Ludgate Druid, although he usually refers to himself as Dr. Anthony Druid. He is an Irish psychiatrist and explorer as well as a minor telepath and magician, specializing mostly in hypnosis and other feats of mesmerism. He has minor magical abilities that have varied over the years. He is also an expert on the occult, having been trained by a Tibetan lama who had come to the U.S. for medical attention. Many years later, Druid discovered that the lama was, in fact, the Ancient One who selected Anthony Druid as a back-up in case his grooming of Doctor Strange failed.

Doctor Druid remained on the sidelines for years. He eventually appeared again and teamed with the Hulk against the Maha Yogi. With the Avengers, he encountered the Fomor and his ancestor Amergin.

Doctor Druid sometime later aided the Avengers in thwarting Baron Zemo and the fourth Masters of Evil's takeover of Avengers Mansion, making contact with the mentally damaged Blackout and helping him resist Zemo's control while also prompting him to bring Avengers Mansion back to Earth after banishing it into his Darkforce Dimension. He joined the ranks of the Avengers shortly after helping to defend from this attack. He battled a Dracula doppelganger in the realm of Death.

His membership was tainted when he was mind controlled by supervillainess the Terminatrix (at the time impersonating the space pirate Nebula) into manipulating the team on her behalf. While in this state, he even assumed chairmanship of the team for a very short period. When "Nebula" was cast into Limbo, Druid followed, as he was still under her thrall. He eventually regained control of his own mind and returned to Earth, where, after learning his true origin, he banished "Nebula" and became younger by magic.

Due to his actions while in the villain's thrall, Druid was disgraced. He was briefly reunited with his former teammates while working with Doctor Strange during the Infinity War, and later became the leader of the Secret Defenders. In that role, he was once again victimized by a villain's mind control, this time by the demon Slorioth. Doctor Druid and the demon were defeated, Druid faked his own death, and the team disbanded.

He then abandoned his spandex costume and became even more of a real, traditional druid, a fact reflected by his taking on the simple name of "Druid" and the new nature of his nature powers, but he let his feelings of rage and power lust take him over, went insane, was betrayed by his allies, and was finally killed by Hellstorm, the putative Son of Satan. Druid's ghost appeared later alongside the spirits of other dead ex-Avengers, confirming that Druid had, in fact, died this time. The Avengers later placed a memorial statue of him in the garden of Avengers Mansion.

A mere 36 hours before his death, Druid is visited by a time-traveling Black Widow. He happily assisted her with magical research pertaining to her mission, no wiser about his imminent demise.

Doctor Druid's son is introduced as one of Nick Fury's new recruits to fight against the Secret Invasion. Secret Invasion #4 reveals that he is operating under the name of Druid.

During the Chaos War storyline, Doctor Druid is among the dead heroes brought back to life when Amatsu-Mikaboshi dominated the death realms.

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Doctor Druid resurfaced on Weirdworld. Nighthawk of Earth-31916, Blur of Earth-148611 and Tyndall were captured by Doctor Druid's minions and taken to his castle. He revealed to his captives that his soul took on a corporeal form when it found Weirdworld, where he remained so that he can still be alive. Doctor Druid also revealed that Ogeode built him a massive crystal on top of his castle to amplify his mind-control abilities, which brought anyone in his part of Weirdworld under his thrall. For some reason, Thundra and Tyndall were immune to his effects due to something related to time-travel.

He later resurfaces on Earth and attempts to live a normal life, but does help Dr. Strange with a magical investigation.

 

         

 

COMIC BRITISH SUPER HEROES - A TO Z


Black Knight, Dane Whitman (British, American, Ebony Blade Cursed Sword Strong, Marvel)

Blade, Eric Brooks (Vampire Hunter Born Soho, London MI-13* [Wesley Snipes] British SuperHero, Marvel)

Captain Avalon, Brian Braddock (Protects mystical Omniverse, Britain Corps, Excalibur, Marvel)

Captain Midlands, 'Rambling' Sid Ridley (British Army Super Soldier Program MI-13*)

Dark Angel, Shevaun Haldane (Psylocke, British Superhero Darkmoor, England, Marvel Comics)

Dr Druid, Anthony Ludgate (Raised England, studied magic Harvard Medical Degree, British Superhero)

Dr. Faiza Hussain (England, London - Sword Of Arthur Excalibur Stone [Marvel Disney])

Elsa Bloodstone, Monster Hunter (Marvel Comics)

Elizabeth 'Betsy' Braddock (Super heroine Captain Britain, mutant Psylocke Amulet of Right Excalibur Knights)

John Storm - Storm Force, ex army captain, soldier turned mercenary with cybernetic arm 1987 Eagle comics
Ka-Zar, Lord Kevin Plunder (British Royal Heritage England [Tarzan] Raised By Mutant Sabretooth Tiger Zabu)
Motormouth and Killpower Harley Davis & Julius Mullarkey, Marvel UK Stories British Super Heroes Mys-Tech Organization

Pete Wisdom (British Secret Agent Mutant Mi-13* Excalibur X-Force S.T.R.I.K.E.)

Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew (London, England - Avengers Hydra S.H.I.E.LD British Superhero, Marvel)

Spitfire, Lady Jacqueline Falsworth Crichton (Vampiric Speedster Marvel Comics, Immortal MI-13*)
Union Jack, Joseph 'Joey' Chapman (Patriotic Legacy Hero World War One [Liverpool, England] Marvel)


* Military Intelligence, Section 13 (MI-13), is the United Kingdom's (fictional) agency set up to deal with paranormal occurrences and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside MI5, MI6, GCHQ, and DI. MI13 is directed by the JIC (Joint Intelligence Committee). The service is directed to protect Britain from mystical, extra-terrestrial and superhuman threats.

 

 

MARVEL COMICS US SUPERHEROES - A TO Z

 

Ant Man,

Captain America,

Doctor Strange

Hulk,

Iron Man

Spider-Man,

Thor, and

Wolverine,  

 

 

HISTORICAL LEGENDS

Saint George is based on a soldier in the Roman army who was martyred in 303 CE (Patron saint of knights)
Sir Galahad - Knight of the Round Table 12-15th century CE literature (King Arthur legend)
Siegfried - Brunhilde & King Gunter (Kriemhild, Burgundian [Nibelung] princess) c. 1200 CE


RECORDED HISTORICAL KNIGHTS

Robert Guiscard - 'The Crafty' (c. 1015-1085 CE) [Norman]
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar - 'El Cid' (1043-1099 CE)

Godfrey of Bouillon (circa 1060-1100)
Sir William Marshal - 'The Greatest Knight that Ever Lived' (c. 1146-1219 CE)
Richard I - 'The Lionhearted' (1157-1199 CE) King of England from 1189 to 1199 CE
Sir William Wallace (c. 1270-1305 CE)
Sir James Douglas - 'The Black Douglas' (c. 1286-1330 CE)
Bertrand du Guesclin - 'The Eagle of Brittany' (c. 1320-1380 CE)
Edward of Woodstock - 'The Black Prince [of Wales]' (1330-1376 CE) 
Sir Henry Percy - 'Hotspur' (1364-1403 CE


 

 

John Storm is a hybrid character. A new breed of modern Knight, fighting to protect the natural world and the archaeology that defines man's development, from Tanzania, to the Moon and beyond. Storm's ace in the hole is the Elizabeth Swann, the onboard AI, Hal, and his enhanced performance via a brain implant and genetic modification. Thus, just about keeping pace with what the market expects in a modern world: A technological super secret agent. In this case, for Blue Shield & UNESCO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Storm is a new breed of British super hero, a modern Knight. Seen here with Dan Hawk, at the helm of the Elizabeth Swann. The formidable high tech duo discover they have no way to make it in the book or film world, but discover that they make excellent comic characters, ideal for publication as graphic novels. George Franks, mentor, is held to be a descendant of King Arthur, a knight of the fabled Round Table. The Swann's onboard weapons early warning and targeting system is called: Merlin. The laser cannon: Excalibur. And the tazer anti-piracy boarding system: Pendragon.

 

 

 
 

 

  ANTHONY LUDGATE IS DR DRUID - IN THE MARVEL MULTIVERSE OF COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

 

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